Torrent description

This intriguing documentary by National Geographic traces the mysterious civilisation of Teotihuacan, known as the ancient super city that ruled for more than five centuries. It is believed to be the first time in the history of the Americas that people gathered together to live in a metropolis.

From its rise around One AD until its fall nearly seven centuries later, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the western hemisphere.

It was first discovered by the Aztecs, who ruled Mexico, around 1500 AD. They believed it was the most sacred place in the universe and named it Teotihuacan - the place of the Gods. The city is a perfect grid of long avenues, massive pyramids, and eight square miles of stone buildings - an area larger than imperial Rome.

For nearly a century archaeologists have been gathering clues. More than 900,000 pottery shards alone have been analysed, bagged and boxed. The meaning of many artefacts is still open to debate. But recent excavations reveal a story of the life and death of the city of pyramids.

It was once thought to be a paradise on Earth, but is now universally agreed to have been the original source for the bloody rituals that later empires adopted. And that the Teotihuacans' gods became the gods of the Aztecs.

One thing is certain; there was no other place like it on Earth. Its people built one of the most massive sacred sites in the entire ancient world. It was a glorious experiment that lasted centuries - a city that strived for harmony and for order.